Kacie’s Story: When a Nurse and Department go Above and Beyond

“I was able to hit the ground running with her [Kristi Sires-Cannon] knowledge and her support.”

In June of 2022, Kacie McClure had a routine prenatal check-up at 35 weeks pregnant. Little did she know she was only hours away from giving birth to twin boys Emmitt and Ezra. Due one month later in July, Kacie had been closely monitored due to preeclampsia – a serious condition characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the latter half of pregnancy. During that June visit, in an abundance of caution, her doctor made the decision to induce labor.

Even with the most capable of teams by your side, events such as these can be quite nerve-wracking. Early-on, Kacie’s team decided it would be best for her to labor in a surgical suite in case the situation necessitated it. With all of this going on, one of the reassuring factors for Kacie was the amount of support, communication, and explanations that she received.

“They didn’t just tell me what they were doing or how they were doing it, but the why as well,” said Kacie. “They answered my questions and took my opinions into consideration.”

Just a little over eight hours after what started as a routine check-up, Kacie gave birth to her twin boys. Due to their premature birth, the boys would spend a little over a week in the Level II NICU Nursery. Kristi Sires-Cannon, one of the nurses in the CCH Maternal Child unit, was as Kacie described, instrumental in Kacie’s positive birth experience at CCH and, and help her set up a nursing/sleep schedule she uses to this very day.

Kristi joined CCH in 2017 as a nurse in the Level II NICU.

“Originally, I planned on becoming a labor/delivery nurse, but I fell in love with the Level II NICU,” said Kristi.

Working in the Level II NICU can be both demanding and highly taxing, but Kristi knows how rewarding it is. Kristi also provides mentorship and guidance to new nurses in the department, giving them the support they need, and enabling them to provide great care to their patients and support for families.

“I love working with the kids and getting to know the families” said Krisiti, “I am also a preceptor/mentor for the department, helping train and mentor new nurses to provide excellent care.”

Kacie also highlighted Tracy Wasserburger, APRN, who was part of the team caring for Emmitt and Ezra.

“I always tell parents that I support and recognize that it is your baby,” said Tracy Wasserburger, Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Hospitalist. “I want to provide information on what are best practices in nutrition and infant care so they can make decisions that work for their family.”

Kacie’s twin boys are now almost three months old, healthy, and growing rapidly. Reflecting on her birth experience, Kacie could tell that “Everyone [Kacie’s nurses and providers] wanted to be there.”

The CCH Maternal Child Unit creates a warm, family-oriented environment for expectant parents and their families.

Located on the second floor above the Main Lobby on the east end of the hospital, the unit has three exam rooms, one minor procedure room and eight Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum rooms (called LDRPs). The department provides care and services to low-risk, as well as high-risk (level two) patients. Other features of the Maternal Child Unit are a C-Section (operating) room, a six-bed Level II NICU Nursery and three dedicated Postpartum rooms.

The Level II NICU Nursery cares for premature newborns needing more intensive care. A caring and experienced nursing staff is here to support each patient through the birthing process and postpartum care, including breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

Call 307-688-2200 to learn more about the Maternal Child Unit.